Turkish Archives and Armenian Question
Yusuf Sarınay
Keywords: Turkish Archives, Armenian Question, Ottoman Empire
Abstract
As it is known, Armenian claims are relied on subjective publications and evaluations like memoirs, contrary to historical and scientific essentials, by some circles that deal with history in a selective way. Whereas, aim of history is to bring up matters by basing upon objective documents within a reason-result relation and to let the readers judge on the matter. If the written historical matter effects today and future together with the past, then it requires much objectivity and attention. Objectivity is gained by applying documents having a significant place among the essential sources of history. For this reason, in order to support researching the Armenian question objectively with a scientific method, concerned register and document fonds which are kept in the Turkish archives are evaluated in details and some record samples are introduced. Thousands of documents concerning generally Armenian question and relocation movement are kept in the various fonds of civil and military archives passed from the Ottoman Empire, in which the Armenian question was occurred, to the Republic of Turkey.